WHAT TO EXPECT

Initial Visit:

Your initial visit generally lasts 60-90 minutes. Please bring completed copies of all downloaded patient forms. You may also want to bring any pertinent lab results, diagnostic tests, and medical records from the previous 12 months. Your health history will be thoroughly reviewed, and a physical examination performed. Blood work and other diagnostic tests may be ordered. You will be given a detailed plan outlining the specific goals and treatments recommended to resolve your symptoms. In addition, you will receive a wellness journal including a daily food log for you to record what you eat, how you sleep, and your daily stress and exercise levels. When appropriate, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) will be initiated. Every new hormone patient will receive the complimentary booklet “Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy” by Neal Rouzier, MD.

Nutrition as the Cornerstone of Health:

At RMCH, we recognize that quality nutrition is an essential component of good health. What you put in your mouth really does affect every cell and system in your body! What you eat is absolutely crucial when you are dealing with hormone, fatigue, and autoimmune imbalances. You can have perfect hormone levels, take a multitude of supplements and exercise daily, but if you are not eating an appropriately healthy diet, you will NOT achieve your health or weight loss goals!

At the initial visit, you will receive a wellness journal including a daily food log for you to record what you eat, how you sleep, and your daily stress and exercise levels. When you bring in the wellness journal on your follow-up visit, we can start to evaluate what you eat, how you process the foods you eat, how you absorb essential nutrients, and what reactions you may have to the foods you eat. We will review how disruptions with stress, sleep, and exercise impact your total health.

Meal plans and additional resources such as websites, tips, and apps will be provided as needed. You will be encouraged to use a Fitbit® or other form of electronic monitoring to assess your sleep and movement.

Patients who achieve the most success in losing weight and gaining energy make specific dietary changes a part of their health regimen along with hormone replacement and supplements!

Hormone Patients

If baseline hormone lab work is recommended prior to starting Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT), a follow-up visit will be scheduled for 1-2 weeks after the initial visit to review lab results and initiate treatment.

If BHRT is prescribed at your initial visit, lab work will be checked in 5-6 weeks

Once your symptoms have resolved and you are feeling well on your hormone regime, follow-ups are generally scheduled every 6 months for hormone prescription refills and adjustments, review of current symptoms, and ordering of any necessary lab work. If new labs have been ordered or significant symptoms arise, then a follow-up appointment with your provider to discuss these issues in detail will be recommended. Yearly follow-up visits with lab work are required to continue hormone therapy management.

Patients with conditions not requiring BHRT:

Depending on the health condition treated, a follow-up appointment is usually scheduled for 2-4 weeks after the initial visit to reassess your symptoms and treatment plan. If labs are ordered, a follow-up appointment should be scheduled for 1-2 weeks after labs are drawn to review lab results. Follow-up appointments will be made at regular intervals to monitor the patient’s progress.

*Please Note: Complex Conditions Require Comprehensive Solutions!

Each patient is unique in his or her health care needs. Functional or holistic medicine is different from traditional medicine in its approach and process. It takes time to accurately address the root issues surrounding each patient’s conditions. Some patients may require multiple, frequent follow-up visits, while other patients are only seen once or twice a year for maintenance.